David E. Hall

Awakening at Sunset

(Cavatina)

Walking stiffly up the long lane, leaning
on my staff and
stopping, now and again, to gaze around
at the green land
fading softly into shadow where the
tall corn rows stand,
once the startled, circling dragonflies have flown,
revelation dawns - I'm truly not alone.

Bio

I have been writing poetry since the late 50s and never submitted anything for publishing.
I have been convinced to do so now that I am approaching 80. When I was young and reading my
work at cafe's in Geenwich Village to my beat friends, I was told my stuff was "too Wordsworthian"
to be taken seriously. I think that was because I wrote in forms, not free form, and did not
think the popular 4 letter words were particularly poetic. This is still true. I have none
of my early work to compare to my current poems, since I didn't keep any of it.
I find as I age I get more religious and a little cerebral but I write as I think and feel,
and cannot do otherwise. My early Zen training has caused me to condense and tend to delete
words when revising rather than expand. Having moved to the country from big cities has
changed my perspective considerably. I live in central Illinois, surrounded by corn fields
in a house built in 1859. So, writing about these things is natural.